11/12/2012

After a pretty good group stage performance
against tough opponents, the Philippine Men's National Football Team a.k.a. The
Azkals have once again made it to the semi-final round of the AFF Suzuki Cup,
Southeast Asia's most prestigious football tournament. For the 3rd time this
year the Azkals face Singapore, though this time in a competitive 2-legged
fixture with a lot at stake - a place in the finals.

This semi-final first leg was also billed as the
"home match that never was" in reference to the missed opportunity of
our country to host our national team for the home leg of our semi-final
fixtures against Indonesia in 2010. Well, our boys finally made it happen and
created this opportunity to play in front of the supporters and the fans. Rizal
was nearly packed and everyone at the stadium was eager to relish this
opportunity to support our boys on this momentous occasion in Philippine
football.

The match ended in a scoreless draw after a
forgettable first half where the Philippines were clearly outplayed by Singapore
and they couldn't get any semblance of an offense going. As it was in the group
stages, our defense has been the most positive aspect of this Suzuki Cup
campaign so far. There were a few nervy moments but over-all our defense held
firm and as it was in the group stage, goalkeeper Ed Sacapano proved pretty
steady between those goalposts. It was a much better performance by the Azkals
in the second half, exhibiting improved cohesion and fluidity in their
offensive game. It wasn't enough to get a goal and they had better step it up
in the second leg if they wish to go further in this tournament. On a positive
note, the Azkals managed another clean sheet, their third in this tournament.
More importantly, this means that the Philippines had denied Singapore an away
goal.

Of course, a win and a definite advantage heading
into the second leg would have been the ideal result, considering the team was
playing in front of its home fans. That would have been an ideal result and a
good gift to the supporters considering how long Philippine fans and supporters
have been waiting for a moment like this, given the significance of the
fixture. Then again, Singapore is no push over. They have experience, are
3 time champions of this tournament and have been in this situation before. So
if a win wasn't possible, a scoreless draw is the next desirable result.

This is the beauty of 2-legged home and away
fixtures with the away goals rule in effect. It creates various scenarios and
raises many factors, making for some very interesting matches. The result of
the first match will most likely influence the tactics, strategy and approach
to the second match and it's quite fascinating to see how coaches, players and
teams deal with the situation.

At the end of the match both coaches seem pleased
with the result. Singapore is looking forward to playing at home, confident
that with the support of their fans they will be able to beat the Azkals and
advance to the finals. While the Philippines may be playing on
"hostile" ground in the second leg, we only need a scoring draw to
advance due to the away goals rule, which Singapore failed to secure in the
first leg. As things stand, the Philippines is still very much in it.

In this type of fixture, the 2nd leg at home is
usually favored by a team which is why those who topped the group stage get to
play the second leg at home. However, it could get difficult and a team could
find itself under greater pressure if things don't go as planned. All it will
take is an early goal for the Philippines and Singapore will suddenly find
itself under pressure to score 2 goals to stay in the competition. As 3 times
winners, Singapore has the added factor of dealing with the expectations of
their supporters. Also, even if Singapore gets to score first, they cannot take
it easy. An equalizer from our team and they are headed for the exit once more.

Singapore will need to go out for the win. This
will enable the Philippines to be patient, to stay compact in defense and try
to take advantage on the counter. Singapore will be obliged to push up and
attack, and what I am starting to envision in my mind is that second goal in
the Myanmar match by Angel Guirado. Score first and preferably score early and
things should look good for the Philippines. Of course, in order to do this
they need to play with more energy and precision than they did on Saturday
night. Then again, I'm sure they know that by now.

Singapore will be relying on their experience
(coach, players) in this competition, their quality, better cohesion and the
support of the home crowd. It is a daunting challenge for the Azkals to face.
Then again, the Azkals merely need a scoring draw to advance to the finals.
They could use this to their advantage. Furthermore, the Azkals are a mere 90
minutes away from achieving another milestone not only in their respective
careers, but for Philippine football as well. As Dan Palami so eloquently put
it, "the Philippines intend to write its own history." The
opportunity for both the veterans and young guns in our team to write
themselves into the history books once more and build a legacy will be a strong
source of motivation that should help them overcome the challenges they will
face this coming Wednesday.

This Suzuki Cup campaign has shown that the
Philippines is a second half team. It takes a while for the Azkals to get
going, to get their bearings and start stamping their mark in the match. In the
friendly against Singapore in Cebu and in the 3 group stage matches, the Azkals
scored all their goals in the second half. The quality of their play improves
as the match progresses in the second half. A 2- legged fixture is basically a
match of 2 halves and the second 90 minutes kicks off on Wednesday. So come on
Philippines, let's go Azkals, you are 90 minutes away from achieving further
glory - WE BELIEVE!

02/12/2012

It is said that
"lightning never strikes twice," and I agree. In 2010, the Philippine
Men's National Football Team, a.k.a. the Azkals, shocked Southeast Asian
football by reaching the semifinals of that year's AFF Suzuki Cup. In that
impressive campaign, the Azkals drew with powerhouse Singapore and defeated
defending champion Vietnam 2-0 to forge a semifinal showdown with Indonesia.
Considering the status then of the Philippines as the perennial whipping boy in
Southeast Asian football, that achievement was a like a bolt of lightning. It
also served as that all-important spark that has brought about a football
renaissance in the Philippines.

In this 2012 edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup the
Azkals have once again successfully hurdled the group stage and booked
themselves a place in the semifinals. However, unlike in 2010, this wasn't any
longer like a bolt of lightning. It wasn't a shocking development anymore. In
fact, the team had set their sights on the semis as a reasonable target for
their Suzuki Cup campaign. Not only the team, but their opponents as well felt
that the Azkals had what it takes to make the semifinals. That's because in
between the last and current Suzuki Cup a lot has changed in Philippine football
for the better.

Following an aggressive effort to step up the
quality and effectiveness of the Philippine National Football Team and football
in the Philippines in general, the Azkals have achieved several notable
milestones. It's quite a list of achievements, and as a result, the Azkals have
garnered considerable respect and esteem from their opponents. We now have a
deeper bench and our team is slowly starting to play at a higher technical
level as opposed to just simply defending with their lives and hoping for an
opportunity on the counter. So for the Philippines to reach the semifinals of
the Suzuki Cup twice in a row is no longer surprising, it was well deserved.

Photo via interaksyon.com

Finding themselves in a "group of
death," the Azkals' campaign started off with a 2-1 loss to Thailand. In a
highly physical match, the Thais did all they could legally and illegally to
grab 3 points against our team. They weren't taking any chances with the
Azkals. Despite the shenanigans, the Thais deserved their win. They were the better
team that night and they showed to one and all that they were favorites to
reach the final by winning all their group stages to top the group. The
battered Azkals could take heart from the fact that they kept the match close
with the toughest opponent in the group and that the chance to progress was
still there.

In this group stage, the second match is the
most crucial. The result of your second match will have a major bearing on your
team's ability to proceed to the next round. For the Philippines, a loss in
their second match means the end of our Suzuki Cup campaign. We needed to beat
Vietnam. Since they drew with Myanmar in their opening match, Vietnam needed a
win as well to ensure their path to the semifinals. Both teams could not afford
to lose and it clearly showed in the first half. Tentative and cautious, both
sides several mistakes in possession. You would think the two teams were trying
to outdo each other in number of bad passes made. In the second half, Vietnam
started to settle into a rhythm and began asserting control. Philippines respond
by making a few substitutions. With time slowly running out, the first team to
score a goal was going to win that match. That goal comes in the 85th minute
for the Philippines and it couldn't have been scripted any better. Following a
poor performance in the match against Thailand, Azkal veteran Chieffy Caligdong
comes in as a late substitute and scores the winning goal off a lovely pass
from another substitute, Angel Guirado. Two minutes later, Vietnam almost
equalizes but was denied by goalkeeper Ed Sacapano whose timely block sends the
ball crashing to the crossbar and away from goal. Three points for the
Philippines.

With their fate firmly in their hands, the
Azkals just needed to deal with Myanmar for their last fixture in this group
stages. While Myanmar may have been considered the weakest among the Azkals'
opponents in this group, they were a dangerous team quite capable of causing an
upset. Furthermore, the Philippines had yet to beat Myanmar based on their
recent competitive encounters, the last ending in a draw. As the match
progressed, the Philippines showed a lot of heart and a clear intent to win
this one. Phil Younghusband in particular was on a mission to make amends for
tepid performances in the first 2 matches and has several attempts at goal in
the first half. The defense held firm and any Myanmar offensive forays were
dealt with effectively. A little over a minute into the second half Phil
Younghusband scores a wonderful goal to put the Philippines ahead and place one
foot into the semifinals. Myanmar started to push forward and attack more
aggressively as their hopes to reach the semis were fading away by the minute.
This left space behind Myanmar's defensive line and on the 93rd minute, Angel
Guirado takes advantage. Running onto a clearance from Carli De Murga, Angel
gets to the ball, controls it, keeps a defender at bay and coolly finishes sealing
the victory.

In addition to making it to the semifinals, the
group stage campaign showed that we have a solid defense. While a lot of
improvement had been achieved by our team in terms of quality of play, our
opponents are still a few notches above us so our defense plays a very crucial
role with regard to our chances of going further in this tournament. It is also
heartening to note that Ed Sacapano has been dependable in goal for the Azkals.
There was quite a bit of apprehension when news started filtering in before the
tournament that our Europe based keepers could not make it. Ed Sacapano showed
everyone there was nothing to worry about. Chieffy Caligdong showed once again
during the Vietnam match why he still continues to be part of the team. His
time on the pitch may now be slowly diminishing but his value to the team
remains high. Following a slow start, Phil Younghusband appears to be peaking
at the right time. Not his usual effective self in the matches against Thailand
and Vietnam, he's found his confidence and form once again in the Myanmar match
and this is good for the Azkals. A deep bench, a combination of seasoned
veterans with valuable experience and young guns with hunger and desire, the
Azkals has deservedly earned a spot in the semifinals where they will face
Singapore.

The team has set the semifinals as their goal,
they have achieved that now. For sure, they are now busy working hard to go
beyond that goal and the prospects look good. There is no room for complacency
though. While we may have beaten Singapore twice just recently, friendly and
competitive fixtures are two different matters altogether. Also, this is a
two-legged affair so the approach and mentality is a lot different than a
single winner take all match. Just the same, I would fancy our chances. We've
gone this far, why not go even further? Let's go Azkals! WE BELIEVE!!!

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About Me

Recently resigned civil servant from the Philippine Foreign Service. Specializes in Protocol and served 3 Philippine Presidents. Assigned with her diplomat husband and son to Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles and Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. for 6 and a half years.
I live .. I ignore warning labels. I revel in the pressure, the adrenaline.. that feeling of being on the edge and the fast pace that characterizes life.. welcome to my world!